Mitchell & Phillips Centuries Power NZ to 337/8 in ODI Series Decider

Inserted to bat first on a two-paced black soil pitch, New Zealand were struggling at 58/3 before Mitchell and Phillips powered the visitors to a strong total with a commanding 219-run stand off 186 balls that turned their innings around.

Mitchell, reprieved on one after a missed run-out chance from Kuldeep Yadav, looked assured throughout as he registered his fourth ODI hundred against India, with the help of 15 fours and three sixes. Mitchell now holds the record for the most runs by a batter in a men's three-game ODI series against India.

Phillips, meanwhile, overcame a slow start -- taking 37 balls for hitting the first boundary -- before accelerating to a fluent 83-ball century laced with nine fours and three sixes. Though the duo fell quickly, captain Michael Bracewell played a fine cameo of an unbeaten 18-ball 28 and set India on the path of a stiff chase.

New Zealand's innings began in dramatic fashion as Henry Nicholls chopped on to his stumps off Arshdeep Singh, while Harshit Rana found movement and had the outside edge of Devon Conway carry to first slip, as he dismissed him for the third straight time in this series.

After being hit for boundaries whenever he offered width, Rana eventually struck again when Will Young cut to backward point off him and fell for 30. But with small dimensions and quick outfield, Mitchell looked fluent from the outset, producing back-foot boundaries on both sides of the wicket to underline the scoring potential available for batters.

Mitchell signalled his intent to attack the spinner in the 17th over by stepping out to loft Kuldeep Yadav for a straight six and looked in command once again by reaching his half-century off 56 balls. Mitchell continued to attack by striking another six over wide long-on off Nitish Kumar Reddy, who finally got a sizeable chunk of bowling overs.

Phillips struggled to get his rhythm before growing in confidence by striking Arshdeep for a straight six and following up with two boundaries off Reddy in successive overs to quickly move into the 40s. It also helped New Zealand's cause that India relied heavily on their seamers, with only three overs of spin bowled by Kuldeep (due to the fear of him being taken apart for aplenty) until the 30th over, when Ravindra Jadeja was finally introduced into the attack.

Phillips brought up his fifty in 53 balls, while Mitchell continued his prolific run against India by bringing up his second successive century in 107 balls. Phillips then shifted gears seamlessly to reach his century in 83 balls. From 21 off 36 deliveries, he accelerated to add 79 off his next 47 without appearing rushed.

After the duo hit a flurry of sixes against Jadeja and Kuldeep, India made a fightback when Arshdeep dismissed Phillips when a wide cutter from him was edged to the keeper, before Siraj removed Mitchell for his highest ODI score, with a well-directed bouncer.

Kuldeep then trapped Mitchell Hay lbw with a googly, while Zak Foulkes fell when attempting a reverse scoop off Arshdeep, which led to him finding short third man with ease. But Bracewell easily cleared the boundary ropes four times, while Kristian Clarke impressed with a straight drive and a towering six before falling to Rana. Despite that, New Zealand managed to post a strong total in their quest to win a first-ever bilateral ODI series in India.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 337/8 in 50 overs (Daryl Mitchell 137, Glenn Phillips 106; Arshdeep Singh 3-63, Harshit Rana 3-84) against India

- IANS